


She's No Prince Charming

by arborealstops



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Character Study, F/F, high-key based on a song lyric from beauty and the beast, it wasn't even supposed to be cj/kate whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-30 23:14:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19413436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arborealstops/pseuds/arborealstops
Summary: Literally, I had Something There from Beauty and the Beast stuck in my head, except I kept saying "True, that SHE'S no Prince Charming" and so I had to write a fic about it, because obviously that's the logical procession. Also... there's a chance that I low-key based Kate's backstory on Mary Shannon's from In Plain Sight because it's all I think about.





	She's No Prince Charming

**Author's Note:**

> Literally, I had Something There from Beauty and the Beast stuck in my head, except I kept saying "True, that SHE'S no Prince Charming" and so I had to write a fic about it, because obviously that's the logical procession. Also... there's a chance that I low-key based Kate's backstory on Mary Shannon's from In Plain Sight because it's all I think about.

When Kate Harper was eleven years old, she dreamed of her very own Prince Charming- someone to sweep her off her feet, to spoil her and treat her like a queen. At age eleven, her Prince Charming was her father. Kate had James Harper wrapped around her little finger. At every holiday or birthday, he showered her with gifts and love. She loved her father. He was the best Charming Kate could have asked for. 

By the time Kate Harper was fourteen, she'd learned that the world rarely provides a Prince Charming so easily. The day her father walked out on her and her mother, Kate's life fell to pieces. She grew up a lot that day- realized that nothing in life is given to you; you have to earn it. So she kept her mouth shut and her eyes dry, never expected anything from anyone ever, and dedicated her time to earning peoples' respect, Prince Charming only a wisp of a fantasy in the back of her mind. 

At age seventeen, Kate Harper realized that a Prince Charming would never- _could_ never- be a reality for her. When out with her few friends, she spent more of the conversation staring at the girl's lips than listening. She blushed in changing rooms and avoided going on dates. She was ashamed of this part of her, this thing that made her different from everyone else, so she hid it, afraid of disappointing her friends and family. 

By twenty-two, Kate Harper had made the decision to be her own damn Prince Charming. No one in the world was going to rescue her, and she had finally realized it. She'd quit expecting a Prince Charming to show up out of the blue and rescue her, and now the dreams of escape had been squashed by reality. She she joined the Navy, and learned to rescue herself. 

At thirty-five, Kate Harper's dreams of a Prince Charming made a reappearance, in the form of a lanky press secretary-turned-chief of staff. She found herself staring too long, smiling too bright, and laughing more than she had in years. She was scared of the hopes these dreams raised, terrified of being let down again. She hated how quickly she'd been swept off her feet without even trying. She told herself that Prince Charming was a fairy tale, right up until CJ kissed her. 

Now, at thirty-nine, Kate Harper rolls over in bed. Her legs tangle with CJ's. She smiles, studying the brunette's sleeping form. _She's no Prince Charming,_ Kate thinks, _but maybe she's better._ Gently, Kate presses a kiss to CJ's forehead, sighing happily as CJ's lips curve into a small, sleepy smile, and she wraps her arms around Kate's waist. _No,_ Kate decides as she drifts back into sleep, _she_ is _better._


End file.
